Fil-Am cue artist wants to be more than just a stunner

Contrary to popular belief, women’s pool isn’t all about a player who makes spectacular shots or shows consistency in pocketing on the table.

Like Maria Sharapova and Ana Kournikova in women’s tennis or Michelle Wei and Paula Creamer in the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the international women’s pool circuit has quite a number of beautiful attractions. Currently they include Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, Ga- Young Kim and Yun Mi Lim of Korea, Yuan-chun Lin of Chinese Taipei, and most especially, Florida-based stunner Shanelle Loraine. It’s easy to understand why Filipinos fell in love with the 28-year-old, who was born in Japan and grew up in Guam. Shanelle has Filipino roots and has been doing commercials for one of the leading shampoo products in the country. Loraine has adopted some of the qualities of a Filipina — accommodating, charming and sweet — which definitely make her an instant attraction among Filipino fans. And like a typical Pinay, Loraine also has her favorite Filipino food. “I like pancit, even the instant ones," Loraine told GMANews.TV. “Even though I know it’s not good for the health." Shanelle said she would love to stay in the country more often than not, if opportunity arises. “I’ve done some modeling here in the Philippines," said Loraine. “My roots are in Ilocos Norte, but I don’t have relatives there anymore as they’re now all in Hawaii." Winless in all her five matches in the ongoing World Women’s 10-Ball Championship, Loraine considered her stint as another humbling experience. “I’ve been practicing at least 2 to 4 hours daily, yet it wasn’t enough to put me in a good position here," said Loraine. “That goes to show how tough the competition is in the world tournament." Once her game gets better, Loraine is open to the possibility of representing the Philippines in different pool competitions. “I would love to do that. That would be great. Right now, my objective is to get better and better and compete with some of the best in the circuit," added Loraine. - KY, GMANews.TV